Letters to the Editor for March 24, 2013

Midland Reporter-Telegram

Published 2:39 pm, Sunday, March 24, 2013

Midland volunteers, audiences made MCT musical success

On behalf of the board, staff and volunteers at Midland Community Theatre, I would like to thank the Permian Basin for your outstanding support of our 2013 opening musical, “Shrek The Musical.” MCT was the first community theater in the U.S. to produce this musical, and we are proud to continue to be a premier theater for new musicals (recent U.S. premiers at MCT include “The Producers” in 2008, “Rent” in 2008 and “Les Miserables” in 2008).

However, MCT could not have pulled off “Shrek The Musical” without the amazing talents of our volunteer cast and crew, who dedicated the past four months to working on this show and putting on performances for seven weekends. MCT was also overwhelmed by the audience response to our show. MCT even had a waiting list for patrons wanting to see the show on opening night.

MCT could not continue to produce the finest in live theatrical productions without the support of our volunteers and our audience, and we sincerely appreciate the support of both for our 2013 opening musical. As Midland continues to grow and new people move into our community, please let them know that MCT is dedicated to producing musicals, comedies, dramas, mysteries, melodrama (Summer Mummers) and children’s theater for a wide variety of audiences. There’s something for everyone at MCT.

By supporting your community theater, you are supporting your neighbors who volunteer their time both onstage and backstage to put on these outstanding productions while keeping your entertainment dollars at work in the Permian Basin. We appreciate your support of “Shrek The Musical” and look forward to continuing to entertain the Permian Basin throughout 2013 and beyond. See you at the theater.

Timothy Jebsen,

MCT executive director

Mayor, City Council need to stop spending our money

When will our City Council stop the rampant spending of our tax money? A new city hall for $30 million to $40 million is ludicrous. Courtney Sharp can’t tell us exactly how ludicrous, but you can bet your bottom dollar it will be more than that. Mayor Perry says it’s a “priority” and needs to “get done.” Scott Dufford says “the danger is the project will be perceived as excessive and unnecessary.” You better believe it is.

With the $150 million-plus for the MISD bond overhaul being outrageous enough, the council wants to get on the bandwagon while the wheels are hot to throw in a new city hall for who knows how much. You can’t throw money for a Taj Mahal to get children to learn and the schools to pass state ratings. Poor or needy facilities we do not have. Updates for, say $75 million, would have been more appropriate. A more aggressive curriculum with better teacher pay is the answer.

So now it’s $30 million to $40 million more? All this for two or more water department employees and another meeting room or two? Oh, let’s not forget Mayor Perry says that a new city hall would “provide interaction with the community and bring more people downtown ... a unique opportunity we can’t miss.” Give me a break. People don’t flock downtown to party, gather to picnic, celebrate “or interact” at city hall. They go there to pay their water bill and other related city functions.

Get a grip, mayor and City Council. Stop the spending. Let us rest our taxes for a while.

Joey Heinemann

City needs to rethink fees attached to Memorial Day run

While it’s true the train accident that occurred Nov. 15, 2012, and claimed the lives of four of our veterans was an extremely tragic accident, unfortunately, it’s an incident that will be talked about for many years to come.

However, the city of Midland demanding a $250 permit and a $2 million insurance policy from those who do the bike ride on Memorial Day is in itself a tragedy, not to mention a disservice to all veterans living or not.

The Memorial Day Run is not just a fun run for a bunch of bikers. It is, as it implies, a Memorial Day run. It is one day of the year we as a country come together to honor and pay tribute to this country’s veterans. The price has already been paid.

I myself am a Vietnam-era veteran who makes it a point to be a part of this ride every year. Not only do I look forward to it, I live for it.

I strongly urge the city leaders to reconsider their thoughts on this matter as again, this day is not for a parade but a day to pay tribute.

Tom “T. Bones” Follis

Odessa

Cats are getting out of hand

This is to the lady wanting to get rid of the stray cat that’s been hanging around her home. I’d love to get rid of the 12 hanging around my place; there are 12 at my last count. They’ve been breeding like rabbits.

Jean Strain

School on Good Friday, really?

This is the first year I have had a student in the MISD system and was so disappointed to learn that Good Friday was designated a weather make-up day.

Our entire region in West Texas has been praying for rain during one of the worst droughts in history. When God did bless us with a substantial rain day last fall, how did we reply? Our public school district took away the observance of Good Friday.

Easter is the most significant holiday that Christians celebrate. Our entire faith is based on the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. I believe we should respect all belief systems; it just seems that Western civilization is finding any other religious group or belief more acceptable and politically correct than Christianity. As a result, Christianity continues to get more and more diminished in our culture.

Our local Christian churches have been praying for an “awakening” during this Lenten season for our town, our state, our country and our world. One of the daily devotionals in the Awake 7:14 devotional book states, “complacency is the enemy of awakening.” I would like to appeal to the citizens of Midland who believe in the importance of our children and youth receiving a school holiday in observance of Easter.

Please speak up and let our local school board know your opinion on this issue. Perhaps in future years, Good Friday will again be designated a holiday. Perhaps, even, the heavens will open up and we will be blessed again with rain.